Thermostat.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

H. H. BLAGKMAN.

- THERMQSTAT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10,1904.

i No. 790,870.

Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT Fries.

HARVEY H. BLAOKMAN, OF ITHAOA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CORNELL INCUBATORMFG. 60., OF ITHAGA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NET/V YORK.

THERIVIOSTAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,870, dated May 23,1905. Application filed June 10, 1904.. Serial No. 211,971.

To all whom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY H. BLAOKMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thermostats, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in thermostats for incubators.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a thermostatwhereby the temperature of an incubator may be automatically regulatedand one in which the parts are so constructed and related as to occupybut a minimum amount of space in the eggchamber.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a thermostat adaptedfor quick and accurate response when positioned horizontally, thusrendering the device as sensitive to temperature conditions when thesame is in a horizontal position as when vertically placed, and therebyenabling the use of a shallow egg-chamber, with resultant advantages inpoint of easy and uniform heating.

The invention further aims to provide a device of the charactermentioned capable of application to incubators of varying types Withoutthe necessity of changing in the least the construction of the incubatorto which applied.

With these general objects in view and others, which will appear as thenature of the improvements is better understood, the invention consists,substantially, in the novel construction, combination, and arrangementof parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

\Vhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what isbelieved to be a preferable embodiment thereof, it will of course beunderstood that the same is susceptible of various changes in the form,proportion, and minor details of construction, and the right isaccordingly reserved to modify or vary the invent-ion as falls withinthe spirit and scope thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the egg-chamber ofan incubator having applied thereto a thermostat constructed inaccordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view ofthe thermostatic member as arranged in multiple, one of the platesthereof illustrating a modified construction. Figs. 8 and 4 are similarViews of the supporting bracket and the rocker-arm, respectively. Fig. 5is a side elevation of another form of use of the thermostat.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates theportion of an incubator in which the egg-chamber 2 is included, whichmay be of any preferred construction.

Arranged upon the top of the chamber 2 is a fulcrum-block 3, upon whichis mounted an actuating-lever 4, said lever being fulcrumed at the point5, and said lever comprises a sleeve 6, in which the sections 7 and 8 ofthe lever 4 are secured through the medium of clampingscrews 9. Thesection 7 of the lever at has depending from its free end a damper-disk10, which latter is applied to the usual form of hot-air generator (notshown) employed in connection with those incubators heated by hot air.Mounted upon the section 8 of said lever 4L is a counterbalancing-weight11, performing the usual function.

Atube 12 passes through the top of the eggchamber 2 and dependstherefrom into said chamber, and mounted upon the lower end of said tubeis an inverted-L-shaped supporting-bracket 13. This bracket may beformed of any suitable material and provides a support for thethermostatic member and the intermediate connections with the lever L.The bracket 13 is fixedly connected to the tube 12, and passing upwardlythrough the latter is a rod 14, the upper end of said rod passingthrough the sleeve 6 and projecting above the latter, upon whichprojecting end a thumbnut 15 is mounted, and through the medium of saidnut it is obvious that the lever 4 may be adjusted in relation to therod 14, so that the damper 10 may be operated in accordance withdifferent temperature conditions within the egg-chamber 2. Connected tothe lower end of the rod 1 1 is a bell-crank rocker 16, the latter beingprovided at the junction of its arms with a radially-projectingfulcrumbar 17, the free edge of which is sharpened, as at 18, and isseated in the angle formed by the junction of the horizontal andvertical members of the bracket 13. Thus it will be ,seen that therocker 16 is capable of free movement upon the edge 18 of the fulcrumbar17, as will presently appear.

Connected to the vertical arm of the bracket 13 and extending from theface thereof opposite to the rocker 16 is a horizontally-projectingtubular pintle 19, through which extends a rod 20, one end of which isconnected to the lower end of the rocker 16 and the other end of whichprojects beyond the free end of the pintle 19. Arranged upon the pintle19 is the thermostat proper,21,which may be employed either in a singleor multiple form, the latter being shown in the drawings. The thermostat21 comprises two expansible side bars 22, each of which is bent at onlyone point intermediate its ends, as at 23, so that the end portionsextend at an obtuse angle to each other, and the extremities of saidbars are riveted or otherwise suitably connected together. The bars 22are formed of a highly-expansible material, preferably aluminium; but tocounteract any tendency toward longitudinal expansion, and thereby causethe expansion to be in a lateral direction, a stay-bar 24:, ofcomparatively non-expansible material, is secured between the bars 22.Especial attention is directed to the formation of these bars, the sameaffording the highest degree of expansion and giving the greatest degreeof efliciency, and, as stated, by reason of the staybar 2 1 any tendencyto longitudinal expansion is wholly overcome. The bars 22 and 24Careprovided with perforations 25, which receive the pintle 19, and thus thebars are free to move on said pintle, but are held thereon fromdisplacement through the medium of a nut 26, carried by the free end ofthe rod 20 and contacting with the face of the thermostatic member mostremote from the supportingbracket 13. As also above indicated, thethermostatic member may be arranged either in single or multiple form,and when the latter is desired any number may be employed. Thesupporting-bracket 13 is also provided with a pair of parallel-spacedguide-lugs 27, between which the vertical arm of the rocker 16 isadapted to work, and arranged at the opposite face of the bracket 13 isa horizontally-extending guide-arm 28, through the medium of which thethermostatic member is prevented rotating on the pintle 19.

While the preferred formation of the bars 22 is effected by employingthe bend 23, this, however, is not essential, for each bar may be formedof two separate sections 29, connected through the medium of ahinge-joint 30, as

clearly shown in Fig. 2, and in such event it is obvious that thesections may have free movement relatively to each other and at the sametime afford the necessary degree of expansion.

In Fig. 5 is illustrated another embodiment of the invention, wherebythe latter is adapted for use in a vertical position incontradistinction to the horizontal position illustrated in Fig. 1. Theconstruction illustrated in Fig. 5 is essentially the same as in Fig. 1,with the exception that the bell-crank rocker is omitted and with theexception of the formation of the supporting-bracket 13, and in Fig. 5this is illustrated as being devoid of the angled portion and theguide-lugs 27, the remainder of the bracket serving the functions beforeset forth. Moreover, the thermostatic member abuts below the lower endof the tube 12 and has its lower surface bearing upon a nut 31, carriedby the lower end of the rod 1 1. Thus it will be seen that when thethermostatic member expands and contracts its motion'will be imparted,through the rod 14:, to the lever 1, thereby actuating said lever toproduce corresponding movement of the damper-disk 10.

With the parts assembled as in Fig. 1 it will be seen that when thethermostatic member is actuated under temperature conditions itsmovement will be imparted to the rocker 16 through the medium of the rod20, and said movementis transmitted from the rocker 16, by means of therod 14, to the lever 4, the latter actuating the damper 10, and therebyregulating the amount of hot air fed to the egg-chamber. If at any timeit be desired to change the adjustment of the connections between thethermostatic member and the lever 1, the same may be accomplished byoperating the thumb nut 15, thereby adjusting the throw of the lever 4under the influence of the thermostatic member, whereby the damper 10may be actuated at either a higher or lower temperature of theegg-chamber, as is apparent.

I am aware that there is in use a thermostatic member formed of anintermediate strip to each side of which a curved diaphragm-strip issecured by bolts or rivets at each end; but the construction of saiddiaphragmstrip or side bar provided with a bend at an obtuse angle atits middle point, said angle having straight sides, or provided with ahinge-joint so angled at said point and combined with a means to preventlongitudinal expansion is believed to be new. In the ordinary curvedbar, expansion is exerted outward on each point of the curve, and theone point of its contact for transmission with the regulating means isless affected than in the use of our straight sides, contacting at theobtuse angle, as it will be noted that therein the entire expansion ofeach bar lengthwise, will exert a combined force at the point ofcontact, and this is pointed out as an obvious advantage in the presentinvention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with athermostatic member, of a supporting-bracket, a pintle carried by saidbracket and upon which said thermostatic member is mounted, a bell-crankrocker operatively related to said supporting-bracket and connected tothe thermostatic member, a damper, and connections between said damperand rocker, whereby the latter is adapted to operate the damper underthe influence of the thermostatic member.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with thethermostatic member formed of two expansible side bars each of which isbent at only one point intermediate its ends so that the end portionsextend at an obtuse angle to each other, of a supportingbracket uponwhich said thermostatic member is mounted, a bell-crank rockeroperatively related to said supporting-bracket and connected to thethermostatic member, a guard-arm carried by the supporting-bracket toprevent rotation of the thermostatic member, a damper, and connectionsbetween said damper and said rocker, whereby the latter is adapted tooperate the damper under the influence of the thermostatic member.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with athermostatic member formed of two expansible side bars each of which isbent at only one point intermediate its ends so that the end portionsextend at an obtuse angle to each other, of a supporting-bracket, a tubefrom which said supporting-bracket is suspended, a bell-crank rockeroperatively related to said supporting-bracket, a pintle carried by saidsupporting-bracket and upon which the thermostatic member is mounted, arod passing through said pintle and conmeeting the bell-crank rockerwith the thermostatic member, a damper, and a rod passing through saidtube and connecting the bellcrank rocker with the damper, whereby thelatter is operated under the influence of the thermostatic member.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with athermostatic member formed of two expansible side bars each of which isbent at only one point intermediate its ends so that the end portionsextend at an obtuse angle to each other, and the ends of said bars beingoppositely secured to the ends of an intervening stay-bar ofcomparatively nonexpansible material, of a supporting-bracket, a tubefrom which said supporting-bracket is suspended, a bell-crank rockeroperatively related to said supporting-bracket, a pintle carried by saidsupporting-bracket and upon which the thermostatic member is mounted, arod passing through said pintle and connecting the bell-crank rockerwith the ther-. mostatic member, a damper, and a rod passing throughsaid tube and connecting the bellcrank rocker with the damper, wherebythe latter is operated under the influence of the thermostatic member.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with athermostatic member, of a supporting-bracket, a tube from which saidsupporting-bracket is suspended, a pintle carried by saidsupporting-bracket and upon which the thermostatic member is mounted, aguard-arm carried by the supporting-bracket to prevent rotation of thethermostatic member, a damper, and connections between said damper andthe thermostatic member, whereby the latter is adapted to operate thedamper.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination with athermostatic member formed of two expansible side bars each of which isbent at only one point intermediate its ends so that the end portionsextend at an obtuse angle to each other, and the ends of said bars beingoppositely secured to the ends of an intervening stay-bar ofcomparatively nonexpansible material, of a supporting-bracket, aguard-arm carried by the supporting-bracket to prevent rotation of thethermostatic member, a tube from which said supportingbracket issuspended, a hollow pintle carried by said supporting-bracket andcommunicating on a line with said tube, and upon which pintle thethermostatic member is mounted, a damper, and a rod passing through saidpintle and said tube and connecting said damper with the thermostaticmember, where by the latter is adapted to operate the damper.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARVEY H. BLAGKMAN.

IVitnesses:

T. K. BRYANT, ELIZABETH G. HOPPER.

